Making A Deeper Connection

Curve Street drawing 15x22 Inches

I have been going out into the city in some of the early mornings and setting up my travel easel and painting or drawing the views my city that capture my fancy. The drawing above is a view in the Grandville Avenue neighborhood which happens to be a thoroughly Hispanic neighborhood. This is a poor neighborhood and has all the challenges to go with it but it is also very beautiful to me.

This particular view is just off Grandville Ave looking down into the river valley along a street called Curve that makes its way down the steep hill on a strong curve hence its name. The day I was working on this particular drawing a grandmother with her daughter and grandchild all came out together to see what I was up to. They were very chatty and encouraging on the chilly morning in the beginning of May. I want to keep making these journeys out into the city through out the summer and into the fall as much as possible. I am thinking of it as a sort of visual journal and as a way for me to create a deeper connection to the city where I live.